Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The research focus of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research is our cosmic neighborhood: the solar system with its planets and moons, comets and asteroids as well as the sun. The aim of the scientists is to describe the processes in the solar system in models and to simulate them on the computer. In addition, instruments are being developed and built to study these bodies from space. The Institute is involved in numerous space missions.
Sami K. Solanki Retires as Director
After 27 years, the renowned solar physicist Sami K. Solanki has retired from his position as director of the MPS. Over the course of his career, Solanki has significantly shaped our current understanding of the Sun’s magnetism and activity. He has initiated, shaped, and advanced numerous infrastructure projects in solar research, including space and balloon missions, as well as scientific instruments. Under Solanki’s leadership, the MPS relocated to Göttingen in 2014.
New Clues on the Origin of Red Auroras
The solar storm in May 2024 was so intense that auroras were visible even over southern Lower Saxony. They displayed colors and patterns that had hardly been documented before. Researchers from the TU Braunschweig, the MPI for Solar System Research, and the Fraunhofer IST in Braunschweig have now analyzed amateur photographs of the auroras. High-energy electrons likely triggered both the red and green auroras almost simultaneously.
ExoMars Mission: Training Run in the Desert
During an initial field test in the Spanish desert, members of the ESA ExoMars mission simulated operating the mission’s rover. Over the course of eight days, the rover Charlie successfully travelled a total of 220 metres and collected scientific data. The rover was controlled from Turin, Italy. A researcher from the MPS was on site, another took part remotely. Starting in 2030, the ExoMars rover will search for signs of past life on Mars.
Young, Close-in Planets Love to Live Dangerously
Young, close-in planets can provoke violent flares from their star, which then backfire on the planets. Ekaterina Ilin discovered the first planet to trigger such outbursts. Within the framework of a new Max Planck Research Group and a ERC Starting Grant, she will conduct a comprehensive investigation into this previously unknown phenomenon.
